Pancetta-Like Bacon, Only More Bacony
I have always loved Prosciutto, which is a fancy kind of air cured ham. Pancetta is a relative of Prosciutto in that is cured bacon.
Thin slices of pancetta right off the log are amazingly good. Just as prosciutto is often eaten wrapped around a fig, pancetta is often eaten wrapped around a slice of peach. I love eating this bacony food in thin slices. Hmm, raw bacon. Cooking it brings out more of it’s chewy, crispy, and salty goodness. It also creates a lot of fat in skillet if your one of those people who make gravy and soup stock and the like.
I’ve been making pancetta burritos, a pancetta pizza, and I am planning on making some Carbonara, which is bacon-and-egg pasta, a true classic from Italian cuisine. I think I like pancetta even more than I like prosciutto.
One of my favorite discount stores is Town Talk in Fort Worth, Texas. They often have all kinds of gourmet foods at cheap skate prices. I got a $40 five pound pancetta for a little over $8 at Town Talk. They also have all kinds of high class cheese, spices, pastas, and other kinds of meats.
Pancetta, try it, you’ll like it.
Carbonara
Ingredients:
# Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
# 1 pound pasta, such as spaghetti or rigatoni
# 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat bottom of pan)
# 1/4 pound pancetta (Italian bacon), chopped
# 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
# 5 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
# 1/2 cup dry white wine
# 2 large egg yolks
# Freshly grated Romano cheese
# Handful of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Directions:
1. Put a large saucepot of water on to boil. Add a liberal amount of salt and the pasta. Cook to al dente, about 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and pancetta. Brown pancetta 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add wine and stir up all the pan drippings.
3. In a separate bowl, beat yolks, then add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta.
4. Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with pancetta and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg. Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper, and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley and extra grated Romano.
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December 28, 2009
Tags: bacon and egg, cloves garlic, coat bottom, dry white wine, egg pasta, egg yolks, extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, gourmet foods, grated romano cheese, italian bacon, italian cuisine, pan drippings, pancetta, pasta cooking, pound pasta, red pepper flakes, soup stock, thin slices Posted in: food, fun
One Response
Yummm! Pancetta. I will say that I like Pancetta in some things, but given a choice between it and American style bacon, I’d choose bacon. I like the flavor the curing process adds.
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